Arson suspected for Whitley car fires

Two car fires which caught within minutes of each other in two nearby streets in Whitley could have been lit by an arsonist.

The first at 12.44am on Friday night was tackled by a crew from Whitley Wood fire station in Torrington Road.

The car – a BMW – was in a drive and the fire damaged a neighbouring fence.

The second blaze at 12.50am was in nearby Yelverton Road to a Citroen Saxo also in the drive.

Watch manager Phil Holdford at Wokingham Road fire station said: “This is suspected arson and it is possibly linked with the car fire just round the corner a bit earlier on. The car was close to the house but we managed to put another jet of water on the house and the other car to prevent the fire spreading.”

Police spokeswoman Andrea Bennett said: “These are being investigated as arson – there is nothing to link the two incidents at this time.”